Systems Engineer - Level 4 (TS/SCI Clearance with Full Scope Polygraph)

J&T Business Consulting; Elkridge (MD); On-site; USD 138,000 - 167,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental & Vision Insurance

Life and Disability Insurance

PTO & Holidays

401(k) Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

J&T Business Consulting seeks a senior Systems Engineer (Level 4) in Elkridge, MD, to drive architecture, modernization, and secure integration for mission-critical defense systems. Must hold Active TS/SCI with Polygraph and have strong cloud/MLOps background.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate complex mission requirements into scalable, secure designs, lead architectural trade-offs, and ensure operations meet stringent security standards.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI security clearance required.
• 14+ years of systems engineering experience with HS diploma pathway.
• Ability to translate requirements into secure architectures for defense/IC programs.
• Experience with cloud and platform engineering, AI/ML workflows.

Responsibilities

• Architect large-scale systems across the full lifecycle.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to capture requirements and guide architecture.
• Lead architectural trade-off evaluations and modernization efforts.
• Support cloud engineering, platform design, and MLOps pipeline integrations.
• Ensure compliance with classified security standards and IA mandates.

Skills

System architecture

Stakeholder communication

Requirements synthesis

Baseline management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Master’s degree in Engineering

Ph.D. in Engineering

Tools

AWS Cloud Architecture

Amazon SageMaker

MLOps

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

Systems Engineer - Level 4 (TS/SCI Clearance with Full Scope Polygraph)

Elkridge, United States | Posted on 10/22/2026

Clearance Requirement: Active TS/SCI with Polygraph (CI Polygraph within the last 5 years)

Salary Range: $138,000 – $167,000 / year (dependent on experience, education, and skill set)

About the Role

Seeking a senior Systems Engineer (Level 4) to drive high-level system architecture, platform modernization, and technical integration for mission-critical defense and intelligence systems in Elkridge, MD.

In this role, you will collaborate with cross-functional technical teams and customer stakeholders to translate complex mission requirements into scalable, secure system designs. You will lead architectural trade-off evaluations, support cloud and platform engineering initiatives, and help integrate emerging capabilities—including AI/ML workflows and automated pipelines—into secure operational environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, analyze, and integrate complex, large-scale systems across all phases of the systems engineering lifecycle.
• Proactively engage with multi-disciplinary engineering teams and customer stakeholders to capture requirements, define technical baselines, and inform system architecture decisions.
• Evaluate system performance, identify architectural bottlenecks, and implement modernization solutions.
• Collaborate on cloud engineering, platform design, and MLOps/DevOps pipeline integrations.
• Ensure system architectures and network configurations strictly adhere to classified security standards and information assurance mandates.
• Support data engineering workflows, data lifecycle management, and end-to-end system interoperability.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with a current Polygraph (Counterintelligence / CI Polygraph dated within the last 5 years).

Education & Experience

• High School Diploma / GED plus at least 14 years of general systems engineering experience, OR
• Bachelor’s degree in a Qualified Engineering Field or related discipline plus at least 10 years of systems engineering experience, OR
• Master’s degree in a Qualified Engineering Field or related discipline plus at least 8 years of systems engineering experience, OR
• Ph.D. in a Qualified Engineering Field or related discipline plus at least 8 years of systems engineering experience.

Core Competencies: Proven track record in complex systems engineering, requirement synthesis, baseline management, and stakeholder technical communication.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with Cloud Architecture, Cloud Engineering, or Platform Engineering (specifically within AWS).
• Background in AI/ML system design, implementation, and a strong understanding of the AI lifecycle (development, training, inference, monitoring).
• Hands-on experience with ML pipeline development, model deployment, DevOps/MLOps practices, and Amazon SageMaker.
• Expertise in classified systems security engineering, secure network implementation, and data lifecycle management.

Benefits & Compensation

• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Basic Life and Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
• Tuition Reimbursement for continued education and professional certifications

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.